I have downloaded and installed the Windows Server 2012 R2 evaluation version from Microsoft's Evaluation Center website. We decided to go ahead and activate it to the full version. We bought a Windows Server 2012 R2 Standard DVD and attempted to use the Key provided with the DVD following the method described here: http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/jj574204.aspx

Yes, I did notice the mistake in the instructions and instead of finding out my version, I used "DISM /online /Get-TargetEditions" command to be able to get the correct parameter for the version of Windows Server I intend to upgrade to. The result was "ServerStandard".

So now, the new command is "DISM /online /Set-Edition:ServerStandard /ProductKey: /AcceptEula". I get the error the product key could not be validated. Check that the specified product key is valid and that it matches the target edition.

Does this mean that I won't be able to use the key from the DVD? Are they not the same edition? If they are, how do I go about activating the server? If the key can't be used, does this mean I will have to make a reinstall using the DVD?

Excuse me if this sounds like a question that can be answered through a simple Google search, but believe me, there is very little documentation, and that's why I'm turning to you guys.

1 Answer
1

No I haven't. I'll give it a shit after hours, since it's a production server. I'll let you know!
–
Carlo71Jul 19 '14 at 22:29

Ok I tried it after hours. After the first command, I received a message saying the product key is invalid. Then after the second command, I received a message saying that the product activation was successful. But, after reboot, I still have the desktop saying I'm still in evaluation mode. Also, do I need to include the dashes in the product key, or just type all the characters together?
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Carlo71Jul 20 '14 at 6:37

Very strange. And you're sure that your key is for the right version? (Datacenter,Standard) Yes the key can/should contain the dashes: slmgr /ipk XXXX-XXXX-XXX...
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ChristianJul 20 '14 at 7:47